How can I prove what I lost when I file a personal
property insurance claim?

Obviously, the most difficult time to prove everything
you have lost is after you have lost it. For that
reason, it is vital to keep an up to date inventory of
your personal property. It can help you file an
insurance claim or document losses not covered by
insurance. You may want to claim uncovered losses as a
deduction.

List every item in your house and attach appraisals,
receipts, model number or serial numbers for big-ticket
items. Photograph or videotape every room and the
contents of drawers and cupboards for back up. To
prevent them from being lost or destroyed along with the
property itself, keep your household inventory records
at another location--like a relative's house or in a
safety deposit box. Update annually.

Brenda Procter, M.S., Consumer and
Family Economics, College of Human Environmental
Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia

If you'd like to learn more about this and other
personal finance topics, the University of Missouri
offers 'Personal & Family Finance,' a correspondence
course, through the Center for Distance and Independent
Study (800-609-3727). Information about this course is
available at
http://cdis.missouri.edu/CourseInfo/DetailCourseInfo.asp?1985.